Forging machine



FORGING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 14, 1950 INVENTORS L4wes-ce L. Lac/u Home? E. FR/RUNFELTER ATTORNEY June 29, 1954 L. L. LUCIER EI'AL 2,682

FORGING MACHINE Filed Nov. 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. L4u/1Pewc L. Lac/ER By #4246 6 FMU/VFEUFF 4 @Zf v.

Patented June 29, 1954 FORGING MACHINE Lawrence L. Lueier, Detroit, and Harley E. Frannfelter, Allen Park, Mich, assignors to Valley Forging Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application November 14, 1950, Serial No. 195,648

Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a forging machine which is principally, but not exclusively adapted for use in manufacturing multi-apertured fittings or the like, preferably from bar stock of a suitable non-ferrous metal.

The conventional apparatus heretofore used in manufacturing multi-apertured fittings generally has employed piercing tools for forming the various apertures in the workpiece. This type of apparatus is not entirely suitable for use when it is desired to manufacture large numbers of these workpieces on a mass production schedule.

One of the defects of the latter type of apcept in a later operation carried out in a separate machine. Also, there is no adequate means provided in this forging machine for cutting barstock during the closing operation of the die member, and thereafter feeding the stock into the cavity between the die member so as to facilitate rapid production of finished forgings.

paratus is that each of the various piercing tools must be assembled in the machine so that it can be pressure-actuated into the workpiece to form the holes. When a large number of holes are to be formed therein, the cost of building the machine is relatively high, because it then is necessary to have pressure-actuating equipment for each of the piercing tools. Continuous operation of such pressure-actuating equipment and piercing tools causes greater wear of the component parts and increases the maintenance costs. Further, when it becomes necessary to use such a large amount of pressure-actuating equipment, the cost of operating the machine is increased.

In order to avoid some of the shortcomings of the conventional apparatus heretofore used, the present invention has been developed so that the multi-apertured fittings can be produced without using piercing tools in the forging machine. In place of the piercing tools, stationary aperture-forming elements are employed and the forging operation is carried out so that the barstock is forged by each of the elements whereby the latter are embedded in the stock to form apertures therein when the elements are subsequently withdrawn.

Efforts have been made previously to develop a forging machine having stationary apertureforming elements. but forging machines developed as a result of such efforts are not suit able for the present needs. One such forging machine can be seen in the United States Letters Patent to Criley, No. 2,038,165, issued April 21, 1936.

The type of machine shown in Criley cannot be used satisfactorily to carry out the present needs for mass production work, since in this machine the die members must be separated before the stationary aperture-forming elements can be removed from the forging. Thus, the webbing remaining between the apertures formed in the forging cannot be removed therefrom ex- It is among the principal objects of the present invention to provide a forging machine which is an improvement over such machines heretofore known and which is constructed and arranged to permit rapid production of multi-apertured metallic fittings, which fittings are characterized by their accurate dimensions, finished surfaces and sturdy constructions, said forging machine being adapted to form any desired number of apertures in the fittings with the machine hav ing a minimum of moving elements, thereby reducing wear of its component parts and minimizing its maintenance and operational costs.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a forging machine adapted to cut barstock to a suitable size by closing of the die carrying members thereof and thereafter completing an entire forging operation while the die carrying members are closed including forming apertures in the forging and removing any undesired webbing and the like therefrom which may be formed during the forging operation, whereby multi-apertured fittings, or the like, can be produced on a mass production schedule and at a minimum of cost per fitting.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a workpiece forged in the present forging machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the present forging machine with portions in section showing a workpiece therein at the completion of the forging operation;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, drawn to a reduced scale, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 showing the dead die carrying member with the workpiece therein; a

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 6 showing the bar-stock cutoff mechanism and with the die carrying members of the forging machine in a closed position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar 3 to that of Fig. 4, but with the die carrying members in an open position; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 65 of Fig. 3 and also showing the live die carrying member in its closed position.

Before explaining the present'invention in de-- tail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in" the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it isto be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the'purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a multiapertured fitting l produced from the present forging machine. The fitting can have apertures I2 and 14 extending inwardly thereinto from opposite ends and an aperture ltextendingtransve'rsely therethrougli. It should be understood, however, that this invention is not limited to a forging machine for producing a-multi-ap'ertured fitting such as fitting l 0, but is intended to cover aforging machine which can produce fittings hav ing a plurality of apertures extending thereinto from various angles.

The present forging machine has a dead die carrying member is and'live die carrying member The latter has a pair of holes (not shown) which are fitted over the posts Hand 24, Fig. 3, of the former and on which the latter can be separated from the former to an inoperative position or closed to an operative position.

The dead die carrying member l8 includes a die 26and shim 28; and the live die carrying member 2dlikewise includes a die and shim 32. Each of these dies can be made an integral part of its die carrying member, but it is preferred to make it separate so that the forging machine can be easily converted for manufacturing multi-apertured fittings of other shapes, merely by substituting other dies for the ones shown. The shims 28 and 32 are employed so that the dies 26 and 30 will have their adjacent surfaces flush with the adjacent surfaces of the remainder of the die members l8 and 20. The shims 28 and 32 are also used so that the adjacent surfaces of the dies 26 and 30 can be recut when they have become worn and thereafter the dies 26 and 28 can be properly fitted into their respective die members.

As can be seen in Figs. 2 and- 3, each of the dies 26 and 30 has a portion cut away therein to form the cavity 34 in which the multi-apertured fitting Hi can be forged to shape. stock 36, from which the forging is made, is fed into the forging machine through a conduit 38 in the dead die member [8 to a cutoff device 4!), Figs. 3, 4 and 5, which is designed to cut a blank from the bar-stock 36 of the proper length to-form the multi-apertured fitting I0 and to position the blank for feeding it into the cavity 34.

The cutoff device 40' includes a lever member 42 pivotally mounted in the dead die carrying member l8 by the shaft 44, and it has a hushed hole 46 into which the bar-stock 36 can be fed from conduit 38 when the live die carrying member is moved to its inoperative position shown in Fig. 5. As can be seen, the shaft 44 is secured to the dead die carrying member is by the bracket 48 in which the shaft is journaled and which bracket 48 is screwed to the dead die carrying member 18 as at 50.

When bar-stock 36 is fed into the cutoff device 40, it will be fed sufficiently far to abut against Heated barthe wall 54, and when the live die carrying member 20 is closed to its operative position shown in Fig. 4, the lever member 42 will be pivoted by the live die carrying member 20 to the position shown in Fig. 4 thereby shearing the bar-stock adjacent the opposite wall 52 to form a blank 56, Fig. 4, of proper length to be forged into the multiapertured fitting H). The cutoff device 40 can later be returned to the inoperative position by Y any suitable means, as, for example, by having the lever member 42 weighted more heavily at the right end.

If desired, a mechanism (not shown) may be utilized for varying the length of bar-stock which may be cut off. This can be accomplished by havingan adjustable screw (not shown) extending through wall 52 in axial alignment with barstock' 36 and against which bar-stock 36 must abut. A limited clearance must then be provided between lever member 42 and side wall 52" so that the latter will not engage the adjustable screw (not shown). Thus, by varying the position of the screw (notshown) the amount of stock fed to the cutoff device 40 will be varied;

After the blank 5'6 has been movedto theposition shown in Fig. 4', it is in alignment with the reciprocable ram 58, Fig; 3, which ram isthen in the position shown in phantom at Thereafter, the ram- 58 is advancedinto the cavity 34" to the position at 62 shown in solid lines in Fig. 3; resulting in the blank 56 being forged into the multiapertured fitting Ill.

The apertures 12 and [4 are formed in the fitting II) by a pair of cylindrical rods 64-and 66 which extend into the cavity 34 when live die carrying member 20 is moved into itsoperative position. These rods: 64 and 66 are held stationary in cavity'34 during the forging operation, and the blank 56 which will be in a heated. state,

to-the pressure exerted'thereon by ram 58. Thus, it can be seen that there occurs no piercing operation by rods 64 and 66, but rather, the heated blank is swaged or forged over said rods 64 and -66 to cause the latter to be embedded in the forging. Similarly, one end of aperture I6 is formed in blank 56 by the cylindrical rod 68. The other end of aperture 16' is formed by the cylindrical end portion 10 of the ram 58. It is believed apparent from the above description that the apertures l2, l4, and [6 formed in the fitting ID are made without employing movable piercing elements, and thus, no pressure-actuating mechanism is required in the present machine with the exception of that used to actuate the ram 58. It can be seen that additional rods can be employed for making additional apertures in the fitting 10. if desired.

In order for the multi-apertured fitting 10 to be removed from the forging machine after the live die carrying member 20 has been separated, it is necessary that each of the cylindrical rods 64, 66 and 68, as well as the cylindrical end portions 10 of the ram 58 be removed from the fitting l0. Each of the cylindrical rods 64, 66 and 68 are removed from the fitting ill by similar mechanisms.

The cylindrical rod 68, Fig. 6, is mounted in a piston member 12 and held therein by the pin 14. Angularly disposed in the piston 12 is a hole 16 through which a shaft 18 extends. The shaft 18 is secured at its one end to the live die carrying member 20 by a set screw 80. The other end of the shaft (8 passes into a slot 82 which has an outwardly flared portion for receiving the other end of shaft I8. The piston 12 is journaled in a bushing 83 which is secured to the dead die carrying member I8 by any suitable means and which is retained in place by the annular shoulder 84.

The bushing 82 has a longitudinal slot therein as at 86 through which the rod 18 extends. When the live die carrying member 20 is separated from the dead die carrying member I8, the rod I8, which is secured thereto, will be withdrawn with the result that the piston I2 will be moved to the right as seen in Fig. 6. Thus, it is believed understood, that merely by separating the live die carrying member 20 from the dead die member I8, the cylindrical rod 68 will be removed from the multi-apertured fitting II].

The mechanism for removing each of the cylindrical rods 64 and 06 from the multi-apertured fitting II] are similar to that previously described for the cylindrical rod 08. Each of the mechanisms for the rods 04 and 66 include a piston member 88 which is journaled in a bushing 90, which in turn is secured by any suitable means to the dead die carrying member I8. Each of the bushing members 90 have angularly disposed slots therethrough through which angularly disposed shafts 02 can be extended. The angularly disposed shafts are secured to the live die carrying member 20 by suitable means such as the set screws 94. Each of the cylindrical rods 64 and 66 is connected to its piston member 68 by a suitable pin connection as at 96. Any conventional type of ejector pin (not shown) may be employed, if desired, to free the forging I0 from the cavity side walls when the die carrying members are separated, permitting the finished forging to drop into a hopper, or the like, (not shown).

During the forging operation of the multiapertured fitting I0, a relatively thin wafer or webbing will be formed between the cylindrical rod 68 and the cylindrical end portions 10. The present forging machine is constructed and arranged to facilitate easy removal of this wafer or webbing. In order to carry out this operation, the ram 58 is withdrawn from the fitting I0 while the latter is retained within the cavity 34. Thereafter, the cylindrical rod 68 is moved further into the cavity, thereby punching the wafer out of the aperture I6. The cylindrical member 68 is moved inwardly by means of a lever arm I00, Fig. 3, which is pivotally connected as at I02 to a sup-porting member I04 on the dead die carrying member IS. The lever arm I00 is actuated by a drawbar I06 which can be drawn to the left as seen in Fig. 3 simultaneously with the withdrawal of ram 50 so that the lever arm I00 will push the piston I2 inwardly into the machine. As can be seen in Figs. 3 and 6, the hole I0 is enlarged to provide limited clearance so that the piston I2 can be moved to the left, Fig. 3, without moving the shaft I8, and thereby enabling rod 68 to act as a punch to remove the wafer in fitting I0. Any suitable spring mechanism (not shown) can be used to hold lever arm I00 in its operative position shown in Fig. 3.

A cam I08 is secured to the dead die carrying member I8 by a plurality of screws as at III]. The cam I08 is adapted to disengage the outer end of the drawbar I06 from the lever arm I00 after the piston I2 has been pushed suificiently far into the cavity 34 to punch out the wafer in the fitting I0.

From the above description, it is believed to be clear that the present invention permits a forging operation to be carried out whereby a plurality of apertures can be formed in a fitting and that the operation can be carried out by a single stroke of a forging ram. Further, it is believed clear that the present invention provides a novel arrangement whereby the barstock can be fed into the forging machine, and the latter will cut the bar-stock the proper size prior to carrying out the forging operation. The machine is also adapted to remove any undesired webbing, wafers or the like, which may be formed in the multi-apertured fitting.

The present forging machine is constructed and arranged so that it can produce a relatively high number of forgings per unit of time, which forgings will have accurate dimensions, finished surfaces and sturdy constructions. Further, it is believed readily understood that this forging machine is not limited to making aperture fittings of the type shown in the present application, but can be used for making any type of multi-apertured fittings.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a forging machine for making multiapertured forgings, the combination comprisin two opposite die carrying members each having a die therein formed with a cavity of predetermined shape, a plurality of aperture-forming elements extending inwardly through the side walls of said cavities from a plurality of directions, a duct formed in one of said die carrying members opening into said cavity through which bar-stock of predetermined size can be fed into said cavity, a conduit abaxial of said duct for feeding bar-stock into one of said die carrying members, a cut-oif device mounted in one of said die carrying members in communication with said conduit and operable on closing said die carrying members to cut a blank of desired size from said bar-stock and to transfer the blank to the open end of said duct, a ram mounted to reciprocate into and out of said duct for feeding said blank through said duct and into said cavity under pressure, said aperture-forming elements being mounted so that they will be embedded in the forging to form apertures therein, and mechanisms connected to said aperture-forming elements and said die carrying members so that when said die carrying members are being separated each of said apertureforming elements will be withdrawn in the direction from which each extends solely by the separating of said die members.

2. In a forging machine for making multiapertured forgings, the combination claimed in claim 1 and including means to advance one of said aperture-forming elements further into said cavity substantially simultaneously with the removal of the ram for removing webbing which may remain at the inner end of the aperture formed by the last named aperture-forming element.

3. In a forging machine for making multiapertured forgings, the combination claimed in claim 1 wherein one of said aperture-forming elements is mounted coaxially in a plunger, said combination including a lever arm engaging one end of said plunger and being cooperatingly connected with said ram to advance the said one aperture-forming element further into said cavity substantially simultaneously with the removal of the ram for removing webbing which may re- 7 ma n t the n e end of the ertur tq med y such aperture forming elementl 4. In a forging machine, the combination comprising a dead die carrying member and a live die carrying member each having a die therein formed with a cavity of predetermined shape, a duct formed in said die carrying members and opening into said cavity through which bar-stock cut to predetermined size can be fed, a conduit abaxial of said duct for feeding ban-stock into said die carrying members, a pivotal cut-off device mounted between and on one of said die carrying members and having a barstock receiving portion adjacent one of its ends in alignment with said conduit, said device being in engagement with the other die carrying member and operable solely by closing of said die,

carrying members to be pivoted to cut a blank of desired size from said bar-stock and to transfer the blank to the open end of said duct, and a ram mounted to reciprocate into and out of said duct for feeding said blank through said duct and into,

said cavity under pressure.

The c m a i n. a defined n im wherein sa d pi o al wired ce e? its), be stock receiving end portion more heavily weigh ed ha ts oth nd 9 a on p n saiddie carrying members said end portion will pivotally return to a position in alignment with said conduit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED, STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,038,165 Criley Apr. 21, 1936 2,124,529 Lester et a1 July 26, 1938. 2,266,463 Korsmo Dec. 16, 1941 2,396,995 Friedman Mar. 19, 1946 2,542,864 Friedman Feb. 20, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 362,055 Germany Oct. 20, 1922 624,871 Great Britain June 1'7, 1949,- 77Q,246 France June 25, 1934 

